Behind the Masks
by fetching-trekky
Summary: "He pulled the last stitch taut and tied it off, cutting the thread from the needle with his teeth. Looking at his craft, Naruto sighed before gathering all the loose thread and needles to put away. This wasn't the first doll he had made. Though it was the first of this specific individual."
Chapter 1: Don't they know? It's the end of the world.

 _Why do the birds go on singing_  
 _Why do the stars glow above_  
 _Don't they know it's the end of the world_  
 _It ended when I lost your love_

 _\- "The End of The World" by Skeeter Davis_

He pulled the last stitch taut and tied it off, cutting the thread from the needle with his teeth. Looking at his craft, Naruto sighed before gathering all the loose thread and needles to put away. This wasn't the first doll he had made. Though it was the first of this specific individual. Naruto looked over at his desk where he kept his other dolls.

There was one of the Sandaime with his hat and pipe. There was one of Iruka-sensei with his head slightly bigger than normal, but still wearing a smile. There was one that actually contained two connected dolls of Teuchi-ojisan and Ayame-neechan, one holding a ladle and the other a bowl of ramen. There were dolls of Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Shino. There were dolls of Tazuna-san, Inari-chan, and Tsunami-san. There were even dolls for Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan. Though all of these dolls were about six inches tall. But not this doll.

This doll was different, and it almost scared him. This doll was almost a foot in height and had probably the most detail added to it besides the secret doll he made and hid of Kurama-kun. The doll had black shinobi sandals and bandage wrapped calves. It wore black ninja pants and a weapon pouch on its right thigh over a small section of bandages. Its torso was covered in a removeable jacket sewn into a replica of a Jonin vest. Underneath the vest was a sleeveless body-tight top with a connected mask covering the bottom of its face. On its left bare arm a ANBU swirl tattoo. On the inside of the vest, a small ANBU mask painted and stylized in the form of a dog hung ready and waiting. Above the shirt's mask, a hitai-ate was tied sideways covering a scar that showed the work required to acquire a Sharingan and the red eye itself. One serious dark grey eye stared up at Naruto, right under a head of gravity-defying silver hair.

The Kakashi doll was well crafted and quite realistic. Naruto had intended to create the doll in a chibi like form similar to the other dolls he had previously constructed, but for the first doll of Kakashi, Naruto couldn't bring himself to make it any less realistic.

Naruto brought the doll closer to his chest and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry you don't like me sensei. But I understand. No one likes me when I wear my mask, but I cannot change for a moment. I cannot show any of you who I truly am. It would lead to bloodshed. I have accepted it as my duty to Konoha and the Sandaime, but my one regret is that I cannot show you for a moment how much you mean to me." Naruto opened his eyes and stared down at the silent doll, eyes dry. He had lost his ability to cry ages ago. He smiled sadly, petting the side of the Kakashi-doll's face with the back of a finger.

"I only wish that my time with you was not burdened with my persona and your dislike of it. I wish I could draw your notice like the Uchiha heir, completely free to show progress and success, while I have to hide behind failure and frustration. Perhaps in the future…" Naruto trailed off, knowing it was idiotic to dream of the unrealistic. He couldn't quite shut out that part of him that honestly believed in it. His persona was indeed based off of some truth, no matter how little.

Naruto laid down to get a few hours rest before personal training and then training with his team.

 **A/N: I'm not exactly sure where I want to take this, or even if I will continue this. It would either be a reveal of power level in the present or a timetravel au. I'm leaning towards the former but I am open to suggestion. So, now that the prologue/possible oneshot is out of the way, I can write the "real summary" I guess you would say. Or at least some of the things that are tag-able.**

 **Summary: Naruto is a genius. And not just any genius, but an incredibly well rounded genius. Naruto is in love with Kakashi and hates lying to him, even if Kakashi and the rest of the village is unaware that lying about his personality is even possible. Naruto is the current ANBU commander even though not a single person besides the Hokage is aware. And the Hokage himself sealed away his memory of it once he told Naruto, his grandson in everything but blood, what would be required of him as such a powerful Konoha shinobi. Naruto leads the ANBU through eliminating threat to and within the village, all while a small rotation of ANBU believe they are tasked with the duty of guarding Naruto who is actually a clone. Naruto, not only knows some of the biggests secrets within Konohagakure no Sato, he is one of them.**


End file.
